Sharing a record label home at RCA and with the abundance of R&B hits between them it was fitting to pair these two together to co-headline a tour. This concert date opened with R&B/Soul singer and Grammy winner Anthony Hamilton, who came out on stage wearing his signature hat, a cream colored leather jacket, black jeans and black shirt, was also surprisingly sporting a knee brace that he didn’t allow to slow him down (it actually gave him a chance to playfully showoff his pimp walk).

Prince has died at the age of 57. Born Prince Rogers Nelson, he championed "the Minneapolis sound" and also took on the music industry in his fight for creative freedom by changing his name from Prince, to an unpronounceable symbol.

"It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died at his Paisley Park residence this morning at the age of 57," said his publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure.

Prince won seven Grammy Awards and earned 30 nominations. Five of his singles topped the charts and 14 other songs hit the Top 10. He won an Oscar for best original song score for "Purple Rain."

Read More]]>tlcross@ymail.com (MBMR)BlogMon, 18 Apr 2016 13:41:07 -0400[New Video] Ice Cube & Common - "Real People"http://www.itsmobetta.com/blog/icecube-common
http://www.itsmobetta.com/blog/icecube-commonGood to see two MC's that had a beef at one time come together to produce good music. Check out the video for Ice Cube & Common's new song from their upcoming movie Barbershop: The Next Cut!

Read More]]>tlcross@ymail.com (MBMR)BlogThu, 14 Apr 2016 09:08:12 -0400Common with the Bboy stancehttp://www.itsmobetta.com/blog/common-with-the-bboy-stance
http://www.itsmobetta.com/blog/common-with-the-bboy-stanceCommon breakdances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon with The Roots backing him. Even without the cardboard he was able to bust a couple signature Bboy moves including the swipe.

Grammy Award winning recording artists, ANTHONY HAMILTON and FANTASIA are excited to announce their spring 2016 co-headlining tour. Kicking off April 21st at Shea’s Buffalo Theatre in Buffalo, NY, the four-week tour will hit major cities including Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C, Los Angeles and more. Tickets will go on sale March 4th at Ticketmaster.com. See below for tour routing. More tour dates will be announced.

Fans can expect to hear all of their hits plus new music as each is set to release new albums this spring. On March 25th, Hamilton will release his fifth studio album,What I'm Feelin'via RCA Records, which will include the hit single, "Amen". Fantasia will release her fifth studio album this spring on 19 Entertainment/RCA Records which will include her empowering first single “No Time For It.”

When you hear of the passing of someone that truly inspired a generation, that helped birth a movement that still resonates with many today, it brings up many emotions, thoughts, and reflections. Malik I. Taylor, better known as, Phife Dawg, or The Five Foot Assassin, or The Funky Diabetic, or The Five Footer, was that person.

Observing the thousands of tweets, Facebook and Instagram posts, you get a sense of how Phife touched so many lives as a member of ATCQ. It makes me smile, and very proud of the hip hop that I grew up listening to.

It was back in 1985 when Phife along with childhood named Q-Tip formed A Tribe Called Quest alongside Jarobi and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. Fusing hints of jazz with their socially conscious lyrics introduced fans to another level of hip hop which catapulted the group and gained them a loyal and steadfast following. They released their debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm in 1990, and though it was praised for its lyrical creativity, peculiar sense of humor mixed with socially conscious tracks, it wasn't until 1996 that it was ceritified gold by the RIAA. It was their sophomore album, 1991’s The Low End Theory, and follow-up, 1993’s Midnight Marauders, that ranked among hip-hop’s all-time greatest releases, and inspired an entire generation of hip-hop.

Not only was Phife a hip hop legend, he was an avid sports fan and if you followed him on Instagram you would, without a doubt, know his favorite teams. I personally loved that he was an avid fan of my favorite college football team, The OSU Buckeyes. I often checked his account to see him opine on the games and found myself commenting with an "O H" on some of his posts regarding the Bucks.

Phife had long suffered from health issues associated with his having Type 1 diabetes. In 2008, he underwent a kidney transplant and it's been reported that he died Tuesday of complications from diabetes. He was 45.

His last post on his Instagram has him rockin' a Buckeye hat but it's his profile message that stuck out to me and it articulates perfectly who he was.

Read More]]>tlcross@ymail.com (MBMR)BlogWed, 17 Feb 2016 20:18:00 -0500[New Song] Chrisette Michele - Steadyhttp://www.itsmobetta.com/blog/steady
http://www.itsmobetta.com/blog/steadyChrisette Michele's latest release comes as a surprise in the midst of the hype of her new title fiancé. "STEADY" speaks of the 10 year run in the music industry with labels Def Jam and Motown, and now her very own imprint, Rich Hipster signed to Capitol/Caroline records.

With the new found freedom of running her own record label, Miss Michele releases her first Trap Soul record. She makes reference to the Porsche she's seen driving off the set of her reality TV show "R&B Divas LA" and the re-kindled relationship between herself and Four Kings CEO Doug "Biggs" Ellison. The track is produced by Blckie Blaze of Four Kings Productions.

"I'm ready to play. I miss being a choreographer. I miss my leather pants. I miss being excited. I love my ballads and there will be some in this new album, Milestone, but it's time to let my hair down and step outside of the box. I can't wait to share."

Read More]]>tlcross@ymail.com (MBMR)BlogFri, 13 Nov 2015 16:42:12 -0500[Official Video] Missy Elliott - WTF (Where They From) ft. Pharrell Williamshttp://www.itsmobetta.com/blog/missy-wtf
http://www.itsmobetta.com/blog/missy-wtfMissy just has released a video that takes you back, back to when videos were choreographed, ground breaking and entertaining. Creative. The song itself is going to have you up dancing and/or enjoying the deep bass line in your car. It takes you back to the fun 90s hip hop that we have enjoyed throughout the years. Oh and you don't want to miss the dancing puppets. Check it out now: